NFL overtime rule changes game

Last weekend brought three tremendous NFL playoff games and one relative stinker. The only disappointment other than Baltimore's blowout win over Kansas City was the absence of overtime games, and thus no opportunities to see the NFL's new playoff overtime rule in action.

Until this season, the rule governing sudden-death overtime was easy to grasp. The first team to score in overtime won the game. Strategy was simple; the team that won the overtime coin toss elected to receive and then attempted to quickly get into field goal range.

That's exactly what happened in last year's NFC championship game when New Orleans beat Minnesota with a 40-yard field goal. The Vikings offense never touched the ball, which seemed unfair to the NFL owners, who voted in March to create a special overtime rule just for the playoffs.

Now the team that gets the ball first must score a touchdown to end the game immediately. If it kicks a field goal, then the other team gets an opportunity to either tie the game back up with a field goal of its own or win with a touchdown. A defensive touchdown by either team would end the game immediately. If the teams remain tied after both have had an offensive possession, the next team to score in any fashion wins.

Confused? Count yourself among a group that includes Packers receiver James Jones.

"I know we both get a chance to touch the ball if it's overtime," Jones told ESPNMadison.com's Jason Wilde last week.